Rhythm & Rockets is out in the wild!

My newest feature animation has been released! 

Watch it here:

Rhythm and Rockets

 and the behind the scenes video here:

Behind the Scenes – Rhythm and Rockets

Read my WIP post on this animation.

At last

Although my big projects usually take many months to finish, I’ve never put this much concentrated effort into a work before. I learned a ton of things while working on this animation. And most of the things I learned weren’t specifically animation-related. Unfortunately, I’m feeling particularly lazy today, so I’m going to just throw out my thoughts in the form of a bullet-point list.

Stuff I learned during Rhythm & Rockets:

Animation Techniques

• Full-bodied characters take 10x the line-work as stick figures.
• Shading characters with shadows and highlights multiplies that line-work by 2.
• A lot of the effort you put into far-away shots will not be seen. Focus your time on medium-shot / close-up details.
• Breaking up the project file into multiple “temporary” files lets you save the document much faster.
• You can draw characters using the brush tool, but then draw the shading lines using the pencil tool. This lets you easily cleanup the shading lines later. (thank you Terkoiz)
• Picking a title for your animation can take all day.
• Keep .zip file backups of all your project materials. It eases the mind.
• It’s awesome when you know how to draw your characters inside and out.
• In comparison to character animation, backgrounds take no time at all.

Live-streaming Online

• The first couple weeks no one will be watching you.
• As people do start watching, they will most likely be the people who were watching yesterday.
• These people are surprisingly consistent viewers, and will tune in at the same time you broadcast.
• Since people are watching, you are obligated to work minute to minute. This can help achieve flow.
• Viewers are fun to chat to, and keep you company.
• The question “What are you working on” will be asked countless times. Have a link to a blog post/description of your project ready to go.

Workflow

• It feels horrible to be stuck in a project that’s taking too long.
• Keep an eye out for time-saving techniques.
• For efficiency, setup your work so that you can do generally the same thing, at the same time, for the same duration everyday. This way, you can go on autopilot.
• Thinking too hard about the end-product diminishes flow. It is best to stay in autopilot during grinds.
• Take caution when breaking routine. It makes it hard to resume work at the same pace you had before.
• It is a struggle to find listening material (audio books, podcasts, commentaries) that can engage you without being distracting.
• During autopilot, the finish line will appear out of nowhere. As a result, there will be little catharsis (feeling of relief). Instead, it feels bittersweet. More like a “Oh, I’m done. Now what?”
• Ignore the thought of giving up for as long as possible. If you must consider it, only do so when you can rationally weigh the pros/cons.

Please note that these are my personal observations, and the advice does not apply to everyone the same. 

Thanks for reading! I gotta go decide what to do now.